*Post-SAGs analysis:
The Help came into tonight's Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony as the movie with the most nominations (four), and it came out as the night's biggest winner, scooping up prizes for Best Ensemble, Best Actress (Viola Davis), and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer). While all three wins shouldn't come as too much of a surprise (they've all been winners numerous times throughout the critics' prizes/awards season), the one for Best Ensemble could be seen as a bit of an upset, only in so much that it beat out two of this year's biggest Oscar contenders for Best Picture in The Artist and The Descendants. Still, as has been proven eight times before, the SAG Awards category for Best Ensemble isn't always a precise indicator of the eventual Best Picture winner. After all, it is a unique category in its own right.
In carrying on with The Artist and The Descendants, the former's leading actor, Jean Dujardin, picked up the award for Best Actor over the heavily favoured George Clooney from The Descendants. Clooney, whom before tonight was seen as the hands-down favourite to win the Oscar, seems to have found some late-game competition, as history is certainly on Dujardin's side. Indeed, no fewer than 13 of the 17 total SAG Award winners for Best Actor have gone on to eventually win the Academy Award. Moreover, Dujardin's win tonight not only helps his own chances for an Oscar, but also The Artist's for Best Picture.
If we're to keep in mind that the SAG Awards are, in general, a strong indicator of things to come for the Academy Awards, then The Descendants' recent string of losses at the Producers, Directors, and Screen Actors Guild Awards - coupled with The Artist's big wins at all three - spells out rather clearly the name of this year's largely undisputed Oscar frontrunner: The Artist. Despite winning tonight's top prize, The Help remains as big of an underdog to win Best Picture as can be remembered in recent memory. With Hugo being shutout in the acting categories for both the Academy Award and SAG nominations, it too would make for a fairly big upset in winning this year's Best Picture Oscar.
And so, with this past weekend of two big Guild Award ceremonies, we've witnessed a huge game-changer in the Best Actor category, as well as some added intensity to an already heated battle for Best Actress. However, as far as the big picture is concerned, the race leading up to the 84th Annual Academy Awards has remained relatively unchanged, as the little black-and-white silent film from France continues to take Hollywood by storm. Next stop for The Artist: Oscar? Only four more weeks remain until all such questions are answered.
I've managed to see so far, The War Horse, The Help, The Descendants, The Iron Lady, but haven't had a chance yet to see he Artist, so won't comment on it, but of the others, to me, Meryl Streep as Thatcher was brilliant. I cannot say that I would pick Clooney's performance as oscar winning worthy, and for best picture, I thought The Help was very well done, again though, haven't seen The Artist, so no comment.
Posted by: Jim | 01/30/2012 at 10:34 PM
Michelle you dont know when to shut your dam mouth..what have you done?
Posted by: Nessa | 01/30/2012 at 09:53 PM
Yay for Canada's own Chrisopher Plummer! He is an absolutely wonderful, gifted actor who is consistantly overlooked in favour of many who are far less deserving. It's about time!
Posted by: Beth | 01/30/2012 at 09:03 PM
WOO HOO!! I love Merril Streep , but am sooo glad someone else won!! CONGRATS MS DAVIS!!!!!
Posted by: Bernadine | 01/30/2012 at 07:19 PM
A well deserved win for THE ARTIST - Jean Dujardin. I'm elated his fellow actors made a wise and informed choice. He was brilliant in the film and should charge on to win at the Oscars! Good review of the show Mark!
Posted by: Jimbo | 01/30/2012 at 05:43 PM
I am sorry to have to say this, but I don't think George Clooney is a good actor. There seems to be no heart and soul when he is trying to act, (only like reading from a script, without the script being seen) Sorry George, you are one handsome man though.
Posted by: Pat | 01/30/2012 at 02:32 PM
Correction: I meant Octavia SPENCER. Apologies.
Posted by: Ken/Toronto | 01/30/2012 at 01:00 PM
One would hope that Octavia Davis, certain now to win an Oscar, will graciously acknowledge the Butterfly McQueens and Louise Beavers and Hattie McDaniels and all the other actors who humiliatingly portrayed idiot-smiling/simple-minded Afro-American domestics in too many studio flicks over too many decades. "The Help" is white liberal Hollywood apologizing for its past.
Posted by: Ken/Toronto | 01/30/2012 at 12:59 PM
The Help was an excellent movie with amazing actresses including Sharon Stone. I rarely purchase movies or books of movie stories. I purchased both after seeing the movie at the theatre. I would say racists eat your heart out as these ladies were excellent actresses.
Posted by: Tina Gabriel | 01/30/2012 at 12:59 PM
I'm sick of these comments about George Clooney. He has done some great films and some great acting. It is time he was recognized for his talent and experience.
Posted by: Pauline | 01/30/2012 at 11:13 AM
A lot of you have some suppressed inner, racism rage. I suggest you all go see a psychiatrist or... help the gene pool out and jump off a cliff.
I suggest the latter.
Posted by: Covering Fire | 01/30/2012 at 11:11 AM
great picture..and though my hubby doesn't agree...(but he never saw it)....it's a chick flick...sort of I guess...but a good message and story for the troubled times in the south...which I still believe are a problem...very sad
Posted by: Joanne | 01/30/2012 at 10:49 AM
Yay for Wendy!
I thought I was the only one who didn't want to see Clooney win for his less than brilliant acting.
That The Descendants didn't win is not a surprise..it was never going to win Best Movie, but I was afraid Clooney was going to take it all this year.
Posted by: AC | 01/30/2012 at 10:48 AM
Hallelujah,there is a God.I believe if 'The Descendants' or Clooney had won the awards, I would have stopped going to the movies.
Posted by: Wendy | 01/30/2012 at 10:38 AM
Frank,
The truth is sometimes difficult to accept. That is putting it lightly.
Posted by: Oscar | 01/30/2012 at 10:04 AM
Michelle,
Pity you did not get the role.
Posted by: Oscar | 01/30/2012 at 10:03 AM
The Help: an utterly dreadful movie by which (white) audiences can congratulate themselves for their "tolerance" and moral rectitude. Barf.
Posted by: Frank bc | 01/30/2012 at 09:32 AM
Tired of Octavia Spencer's acceptance speeches. She's acting, she did not find a cure for a deadly disease.
Posted by: Michelle | 01/30/2012 at 09:13 AM
I have to say, I'm glad Clooney didn't win the Best Actor award.
He has done better acting than he did in The Descendants.
Posted by: AC | 01/30/2012 at 09:09 AM
It's not until you see the picture that you realize how many white people were in The Help.
Posted by: cj | 01/30/2012 at 09:01 AM
- Oscars
- Golden Globes
- Peoples Choice
- SAG
Posted by: Justin | 01/30/2012 at 08:57 AM
wo heng xi huan wu ju wu shu de sheng huo
Posted by: swarovski uk | 01/30/2012 at 02:08 AM